I’m a massive fan of Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting based on Irvine Welsh’s novel. So naturally I was eagerly anticipating Jon S. Bird’s Filth also based on an Irvine Welsh novel and may I say I am not disappointed in the slightest. Many have described the film as being “ultra-dark” and I’m inclined to agree with them. The film just like the style of Irvine Welsh it is dark, forceful, humorous, uncompromising and powerful.

Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy) is a lets say questionable, unethical and unconventional Edinburgh cop hungry for promotion. To achieve this goal Bruce must overcome the challenges of his colleges also competing for the job. At first things are easy for Bruce as he is able to manipulate his colleges with ease however Bruce would soon discover that the biggest threat to his promotion prospects would be himself.

There are not many characters who are as compelling, captivating, three-dimensional and multi-layered as Bruce Robertson. In Bruce we see a character so buried in his own trauma and pain that he has shaken off the honest person he once was in favour of succumbing to humanity’s dark nature. As soon as we see Bruce we realise he is a despicable person: he is racist, homophobic, treats people with no regard, betrays everyone in sight even his “best friends” and will not think twice about exploiting someone for his own ends. However even though we know these things we cannot help but be drawn to the man and find out what makes him tick. Thus a pile of credit must be given to Jon S. Bird and and Irvine Welsh, Welsh for creating such a complex character and Jon S. Bird for translating such a great character to the screen with skill. Bruce is prof that you can’t judge a man by his cover which in Bruce’s case is filthy, you must instead take the time to read the pages inside (did I take that metaphor too far?).

The plot itself is also a joy. Humour is present throughout, I particularly the scene in which Bruce and Jamie Bells’ character intimidate a witness with tales of “The Beast” in prison. There is also a couple of hallucination scenes which are entertaining and symbolic enhanced by Jim Broadbent’s superb performance of an insane doctor with a peculiar, high-pitched voice. Lastly there are more than a few suprises, twists and turns to keep you hooked.

Now to the performance of James McAvoy, it is nothing short of spectacular. I sincerely hope I am wrong but I don’t see McAvoy giving a better performance. His screen presence was immeasurable, his comedic timing perfect and he somehow brought humanity to the character and carved the sympathy right out of you. You get the sense James McAvoy knew this character inside and out and knew exactly when to drop his guard and reveal the person underneath the dirt.

Never before have I enjoyed rolling around in filth. The film was everything I expected it to be and more. It did not buckle under the weight of the expectations Trainspotting would have brought and instead just ended up being a top class film.

The Iceman had the huge advatage of being based on the true story of Richard kuklinski. What makes this story so interesting is that Kulinski is said to have killed over a hundred people (some say 200) and somehow kept his murderous nature from his family for many years. Does Ariel Vromen captialise on this intriguing narrative or does he squander this opportunity?

Sadly it is the latter. Now the only reason I watched this was to see Michael Shannon as a ruthless hitman, little did I know that this would end up being one of the film’s few strengths Ariel Vromen’s direction and script fail to inject any pace or tension into the film. Only in the final third do things begin to pick up as the danger mounts. The script uses one of the most generic lines that could ever be said in a hitman film: “I don’t do women or kids”. The script did not need to specify that he doesn’t kill women and children as five minutes before the line is said kuklinski spares a teenage girl. Additionally the script struggles conveying the passage of time as the only indication you are given is Michael Shannon’s changing facial hair.

Dissatisfied with the film’s account of the story I decided to watch the interview tapes of Richard Kuklinski. After watching these tapes my view that this film wasted it’s potential was only reinforced. First I want to say Kuklinski is one malevolent, terrifying man. At one point in the interview he said he lost a 50 dollar bet with his college concerning how long it would take for a man to drown in his own blood if you shot him directly in his adams apple. There are several moments in Kuklinski’s life that would have made for some great scenes. Kuklinski stated that at one point he gave his wife a knife, turned his back and said “You’ll never get this chance again”. This would have been a great addition to the film, a chance to create some much needed tension. The other thing thing that stood out for me after watching the interviews was the lack of attention the film gave to the substantial amount of beatings Kuklinski endured as a child from both his mother and father. Yet another missed opportunity to give us further insight in Kuklinski. Also for a film centered around a murderer we are only given a quick montage to show this and this montage fails to express just how brutal, cold and calculated the “Iceman” was.

The performances from every cast member save this film. Michael Shannon is excellent, he portrays Kuklinski with the menace and brutality the character needs. Shannon actually adopts a subdued approach which makes his random outbursts even more effective. Chris Evans was more than adequate as fellow hitman “Mr Freezy”, he is so recognisable that it took me a while to realise it was Chris Evans. Ray Liotta once again shows his skill as an intimidating mob boss.

This film could have been exciting, captivating, tense and engrossing but the words “could have” would ultimately be the film’s downfall. Finally it does not surprise this blogger that the film experienced an ‘icy’ reception.

After watching a production of Chazz Paliminteri’s autobiographical one-man show, Robert De Niro approached Paliminteri about purchasing the film rights and directing a film based on his play. Paliminteri agreed provided he could write the script and play Sonny. This would be Robert De Niro’s first venture behind the camera and he would prove that he is just as adept behind the camera as he is in front.

A Bronx Tale tells the coming of age story of Calogero (Francis Capra and Lilio Brancato) under the guidance of two very different men: His father Lorenzo (Robert De Niro) who consistently tries to imbue his son with working-class values. The other being powerful local mob boss Sonny (Chazz Paliminteri) who teaches him how to handle himself on the street and teaches him some realities of life. These two men come to odds as Lorenzo fears Sonny is corrupting his son with the easy, glamorous life of crime. Meanwhile Calogero is torn between his two idols and their teachings.

Robert De Niro is at the top of his game in A Bronx Tale, surprisingly he is in a crime film but not playing a gangster. De Niro perfectly conveys the caring father who would do anything for his son, but also skilfully showing a father who is struggling to capture and maintain his son’s attention. Additionally De Niro once again show cases one of his trademarks, being able to be a firm authoritarian but on the other hand being able to convey a strong sense of humour and mould these two elements successfully together. His directing skills equal his performing skills as he unfolds the tale with patience and confidence, taking the time to show us life in 1960s Bronx. De Niro is greatly supported but a solid script from Paliminteri as it is clear he had no difficulty transferring his story from theatre to screen.

As the film begins and we see the Bronx from the sky we are immediately immersed into this world and story through effective use of voice-over from the protagonist. The claustrophobic almost cramped set emphasises the idea that the Bronx is a small world on in to itself, a tiny world slow to change compared to the rest of the world. A mention must also be given to the film’s use of music and more importantly the timing of the music. Whenever music is played it is incredibly appropriate for the scene, enhancing the poignancy of each scene; whether it is slow, contemplative, and almost romantic music or just cool jazz for bar scenes.

In a Robert De Niro film you would expect him nine times out of ten to act anyone off the screen. However Chazz Paliminteri more than holds his own, generating a lot of sympathy for Sonny as in some way he sees Calogero as his own redemption. Paliminteri does this so well you tend to forget that he is a brutal criminal. Paliminteri shows a caring, emotional side to his character as he tries and turns Calogero away from violence and crime; teaching him that the best tool for the job is not necessarily the hammer.

A Bronx Tale is often said to be very alike to Goodfellas because it is a coming of age gangster movie. This is understandable, however unlike Goodfellas a mobster protégée is not being trained, but rather a young boy into a man who receives two very different forms of education from two contrasting men, in order to give him the best chance to escape the hardships and prejudices of the Bronx.

After successes in the crime genre and showing a talent for conveying sympathetic, likable criminals as protagonists in films such as “Heat” and “Thief” Michael Mann applies these talents once again in “Collateral”. Michael Mann is considerably more successful in doing this than he was in “Miami Vice” and this time chooses to do a crime/thriller with a much simpler plot than “The insider”. This simple plot of collateral is actually one of it’s main strengths, it focuses more on the two lead characters and the dialogue between them.

Max (Jamie Foxx), is a kind, upstanding, skillful, precise, tax driver with big dreams. One night Max picks up Vincent (Tom Cruise) and it appears to be just a normal Fare; Max even thinks he’s in for a stroke of luck as Vincent offers him 600 dollars to drive him to five locations. However it is not until later in the night does Max realize he is driving a deadly hitman and taking him to five separate hits.

For me “Collateral” competes with “Magnolia” for Tom Cruise’s finest performance. It is refreshing to see Tom Cruise play a character who is not trying to “save the day” and instead play a character who is by no means good. The audience knows right of the bat that they are dealing with not your typical Tom Cruise role just by looking at his appearance. The gray hair and silver suit add to the aura of mystery and cold-heartedness that Tom Cruise conveys brilliantly, you get the feeling that this appearance’s only purpose is to act as a mask. As the film progress you get to know Vincent better, but not as much as you would like, you feel there is so much ore under the surface. There are also many sides of this character that Cruise portrays without difficulty, there’s the emotionless hitman, the charismatic, sociable side and the sad and alone side. Tom Cruise’s performance struck me as actually being very alike to Robert De Niro’s character Neil McCauley from “Heat” (They even look the same).

Jamie Foxx also puts in more than a decent performance. When we first see Max in his taxi you get the sense his whole universe is in that one taxi: his hopes and dreams, his livelihood and that it is an integral stepping stone to his dream business. Even though Max is a “good guy” he has flaws like the rest of us and it is interesting to see Jamie Foxx to slowly revel these flaws. I’m going to be honest and say I didn’t expect much from Jamie Foxx, but I have to say I’m happy to be surprised. Jamie Foxx was even nominated for an academy award for best supporting actor. I was disappointed to discover Tom Cruise didn’t even receive a nomination, he deserved that much.

Michael Mann’s personal touch on the film’s camera work enhances the experience. The camera at times just follows the characters and fixes on the character’s faces, it is an interesting technique which immerses the audience. Credit to Michael Mann for choosing a very realistic approach to his action as he had most of his cast undergo firearms training and the effect is polished, natural and professional fire-fights. I have to also say that this film has the most realistic sounds effects for gun fire I have ever heard, they are deafening and absolutely intimidating. Michael Mann again being a great advocate of a evening setting shown once again in “Collateral”; it works perfectly in this film. it creates a sense of desolation and isolation and perfectly reflects the feelings of Max as he knows help is nowhere near.

The biggest source of entertainment from the film is the intimate sections of dialogue between Vincent and Max in the taxi. These scenes of top quality dialogue go in many different directions and explore so many different, interesting topics. Such as what is the individual’s significance? the delusions we humans build to protect ourselves and humanity’s treatment of each other. To put it simply the dialogue in this film is a treat and serves to add many layers to the film so it isn’t just an ordinary crime film. My one gripe about this film would be it’s ending, I feel the substantial tension accumulated prior to the ending is wasted and that the ending itself is flat compared to the rest of the film. I wish to mention the peculiar cameo from Jason Statham, I was incredibly surprised to see him, as he says just one line and leaves. I kept expecting him to pop up later on in the film, apparently it is a nod to his character in “The Transporter”.

“Collateral” is definitely a film that double-taps the bulls-eye dead center. It is a must see for fans of crime or of Michael Mann.”Collateral” is compelling and entertaining, with a well-crafted script and two very strong lead performances.

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Chris2508

This is Willem Dafoe, not me.

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